Shopping around to replace my basic cable service. Didn't realize satellite TV can be cheaper/comparable to cable TV. So which is the better provider: Direct TV or Dish Network. Price/performance wise? Specially clear signal, and hi-definition upgradability. Promos too...

I'm not sure about how things are now with dish, but I know when we got our DirecTV system (wow it's already been over 3 years!) the big problem with Dish was sports programming was almost non existent. They didn't offer any of the special seasonal sports packages and didn't have as many regular sports channels. I think now though things may have become a bit more level although I still hear HD offerings are sparse at best on both. As far as signal, I live in north central Connecticut and the only time we loose the signal is during the insanely severe thunderstorms we often get during the summer and sometimes in the winter during freezing rain and or very very heavy wet snow. The closer you live to the south and to the center of the country will provide you a stronger signal in most caases. Anyhow, perhaps someone else can share some more current insight than I.
(Cool my 100th post!)

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Dave My DVDs My Humble Home Theatre

I just replaced basic cable with Dish satellite TV and I could not be happier. I personally do not care about sports programming but if you look at their website www.dishnetwork.com their seems to be a wide variety of it , both included and PPV. The picture and sound are much better due to the MPEG 2 coding/decoding andthe online guide is also pretty good. Make sure you get a receiver with the right features as not al offer S-Video, digital out etc. The one down side is that you cannot record something and watch something else at the same time unless you have two receivers. I could be wrong, but where I live in Northern California the weather should not be too much of a problem. The service has gone down a couple of times for a few minutes but it was probably a technical fault. There are also certain channels that Dish provides that Direct TV does not and vice versa. You also may or may not be eligible for local channels (Fox, ABC, CBS and NBC). If you are then it will be another 5 or 6 dollars a month. If you are not then you will have to hook up an antenna to get them and you reception may or may not be good.

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MY SHORT BUT SLOWLY EXPANDING DVD LIST

"The earth does not belong to people; people belong to the earth. Everything that happens to the earth happens also to the sons and daughters of the earth." -Chief Seattle.

I just got DirecTv last month & am very happy with it. DirecTv does offer local channels now too. I like the variety of channels (especially Boomerang which has all the old cartoons like Quickdraw McGraw), the picture looks better than the digital cable I had, & the shows that use 5.1 sound really good. I also got the Football ticket so I can see every game, every week. Right now there's 2 HD stations (HBO & 1 demo/pay-per-view). I have a 65" HDTV & the HD signal looks incredible. The only problem is the HBO HD station is West coast, so the R rated movies don't come on until at least 11:00 on the East coast. I also use an antenna to get WB & the local ABC, CBS, & Fox HD stations (the DirecTv locals are not HD). Antone know for sure if Monday Night Football is broadcast in HD? Everyone tells me it is, but the 3 preseason games on the ABC HD station were non-HD 4x3(shows not filmed in HD show up as 4x3 with black bars replacing the grey bars on the left & right side, whereas the real HD shows are 16x9). I'm hoping it will switch to HD for the regular season, I have people coming over & will feel stupid if it's not in HD after psyching everyone for it.

DISHNETWORK all the way never one regret price is fair plenty of sports and various other things and for an extra $5 a month you can get digital local channels to not even a contest dishnetwork all the way!!!!!!!!!

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Of all the things i've lost in life, I miss my money the most!

I also understand Dish commonly offers WB/UPN as a natioal feed and Direct TV only offers it in some markets FWIW.

Actually, DirecTV has a WB channel that is in the total choice package(WGN Chicago)but thus far no UPN affiliate, although if the network is bought by fox that could change.

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Dave My DVDs My Humble Home Theatre

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by dfbennett:
...UPN affiliate, although if the network is bought by fox that could change.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think it's CBS/viacom that's buying UPNout

dfbennett - The WGN that's offered by DirecTV is the cable version of WGN. You don't get WB programming. They just recently started offering WGN as part of the local channel package here in Chicago, which would show WB programming. Otherwise I don't think there is a WB channel offered.

We've had DirecTV for over 3 years now and have been pleased with it. Sports packages are amazing. I think I read a post some time ago that mentioned one difference between Dish and DirecTV was the direction the dish had to be pointing in. So you would need to check the tree-line, etc. to see if you can get a signal from both providers.

Dish for me. I also think channel for channel Dish is less expensive.

bsteinin,
are you sure it doesn't have WB programming? I am positive I've seen unhappily ever after and Buffy on WGN on the WGN on DirecTV at some point in time.

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Dave My DVDs My Humble Home Theatre

I have the Dish Network satellite service and I get the WGN channel. Although it is not the same as a local WB channel, most of the programming is the same.

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MY SHORT BUT SLOWLY EXPANDING DVD LIST

"The earth does not belong to people; people belong to the earth. Everything that happens to the earth happens also to the sons and daughters of the earth." -Chief Seattle.

dfbennett - At one time WGN may have been shown with WB (I seem to recall over 2 years ago watching WB shows on WGN), but now they are definitely two different channels. Friends is on twice a day at 6 and 10 on the local WGN and at 10 McGuyver (sp?) is on DirecTV WGN. DirecTV just sent us something that we could get WGN in our local channel package for Chicago and you can see by the guides it's two different sets of programming.